Podcasts have seen a huge boom within the past year. Personally, I have found myself listening to more podcasts while driving and walking around campus than music. If you've never listened to a podcast before, there are a huge variety of them out there!
I decided to gather a list of five podcasts that I would recommend!
1. "Nickelodeon Animation Podcast"
We all love cartoons.
Each week, Hector Navarro sits down and talks animation with a creative mind that lives and breathes animation. Every kid born in the 90's loved Nickelodeon growing up and this podcast brings back all of the warm feelings of watching "Rugrats" on a Saturday morning. They are 38 episodes in currently and have had guests such as Butch Hartman, the man behind "The Fairly Oddparents" and "Danny Phantom," and producer Fred Seibert, who pretty much saved Nickelodeon in its early days.
You can learn the history behind your favorite cartoons via SoundCloud, YouTube, or iTunes.
If you're not sold yet, listen to this reunion of the "Danny Phantom Cast!"
2. "Cloverfeels"
"Cloverfeels" is one of the first podcasts that I listened to religiously.
Early last year, Paramount Pictures posted a trailer for "10 Cloverfield Lane."
Everybody went crazy. Was this the longly anticipated sequel to "Cloverfield" released in 2008? Yes. Yes, it was. When this news broke, two internet comedians/best friends/lovers of "Cloverfield," Steve Zaragoza and Mike Falzone, started the "Cloverfeels" podcast. Each week, they would dive into the world of "Cloverfield" and follow the viral marketing campaign that promoted the new movie. After the movie was released, they did a review of the movie in June last year and concluded their job done.
Their job was completed until rumors revealed that another "Cloverfield" movie was in the works. Another episode was posted last December with this updated news and informed us that they podcast would be returning sooner or later. I'm excited to see what's next in the "Cloverfield" universe.
You can listen to the episodes via Spreaker or iTunes.
3. "Dynamic Banter"
Ahhh, "Dynamic Banter." This one is hard to describe.
If you like to have a good laugh in public that makes you look like a freak, then this is the podcast for you. Once "Cloverfeels" was concluded, "Dynamic Banter" was born. Steve and Mike wanted to continue a show where they could talk about anything and everything and boy did they deliver. This is one of the most off-the-wall podcasts I have every heard and I absolutely love it. There is no set format of the show, just 60 minutes of pure chaos and fun.
You can listen to their antics via Spreaker and iTunes.
4. "S-Town"
Off the successful heels of "Serial" and "This American Life" comes "S-Town."
I have attempted to write a description for this podcast, but it is very difficult to write one without spoiling anything. The author's description on the website sums it up perfectly:
"John despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life."
Sounds cool, right? It's cool and so much more. S-Town turns out to a beautiful piece on humanity and one man's life. That is all I can say without giving too much away. This seven-part series is an absolute treat that will get you hooked from the beginning.
You can listen to all seven episodes via iTunes or stownpodcast.org.
5. "Pod Save America"
The goal of the podcast is to "inform, entertain, and inspire acts of activism."
You can listen to the discussions via iTunes and ART19.
